European Parliament Elections in the North West: What you need to know

Issued on behalf of the Returning Officer for the North West of England

The countdown has begun to European Parliament Elections which will take place on Thursday 23 May. More than five million people across North West England will have the opportunity to vote in these elections to select the region’s eight Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).

The North West European Elections count and declaration will take place in Manchester on Sunday 26 May 2019, after polls close across Europe. People will not be able to vote unless they have ensured they are on the Electoral Register. If you are not registered already, visit www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and register by the Tuesday 7 May deadline.

European Union citizens living in the North West, are eligible to vote in either the United Kingdom or in their country of origin but not both. To vote in the United Kingdom, they must be registered to vote and have completed an additional form available to download from the North West Votes website.

The deadline for the return of this form is also Tuesday 7 May 2019.

Anyone who is on the electoral register can choose to register to vote by post. Applications for a postal vote in this election must be received by 5pm on Wednesday 8 May 2019. The deadline for proxy votes is 5pm on Wednesday 15 May 2019. To find out more visit www.yourvotematters.co.uk.

A full list of candidates for the European Parliament Elections will be published at 5pm on Thursday 25 April 2019. Joanne Roney OBE, Regional Returning Officer for the European Parliament Elections in the North West, said: "While the circumstances around these elections are somewhat unexpected, this election gives people the opportunity to elect the politicians who will represent them in Europe until such point as the UK leaves the European Union. “Election teams across the North West are focused on the effective organisation of these elections and we don’t want anyone to miss out on their right to vote because they are not registered."

The European Parliament Elections are run using a form of proportional representation. Voters have one vote only, and this can be cast for either a political party or an individual candidate. Each political party puts forward a list of candidates for the North West and the number of MEPs that are elected will depend on the overall share of the vote that a party or individual candidate receives in the region.

MEPs represent the whole of the North West region and so everybody who is eligible to vote in the region will be voting for the same list of parties and candidates.